Control of a fan assembly

ABSTRACT

There is provided a method of controlling a direction of an airflow emitted from a fan assembly, the fan assembly being capable of changing the direction of the airflow emitted therefrom to any direction within a range of adjustment of the fan assembly. The method comprises receiving user inputs that select an angle of oscillation and that determine a central emission direction for the airflow emitted from the fan assembly, and controlling the emission direction of the fan assembly such that the emitted airflow oscillates through the selected angle of oscillation with the oscillation of the emitted airflow being centered at the central emission direction.

This application is a national phase application under 35 USC 371 of International Application No. PCT/GB2019/050539, filed Feb. 27, 2019, which claims the priority of United Kingdom Application No. 1805564.0, filed Apr. 4, 2018, the entire contents of each of which are incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present invention relates to a method of controlling a fan assembly, a fan assembly and an electronic device configured to control a fan assembly.

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE

A conventional domestic fan typically includes a set of blades or vanes mounted for rotation about an axis, and drive apparatus for rotating the set of blades to generate an airflow. The movement and circulation of the airflow creates a ‘wind chill’ or breeze and, as a result, the user experiences a cooling effect as heat is dissipated through convection and evaporation. The blades are generally located within a cage which allows an airflow to pass through the housing while preventing users from coming into contact with the rotating blades during use of the fan.

U.S. Pat. No. 2,488,467 describes a fan which does not use caged blades to project air from the fan assembly. Instead, the fan assembly comprises a base which houses a motor-driven impeller for drawing an airflow into the base, and a series of concentric, annular nozzles connected to the base and each comprising an annular outlet located at the front of the nozzle for emitting the airflow from the fan. Each nozzle extends about a bore axis to define a bore about which the nozzle extends.

Each nozzle is in the shape of an airfoil may therefore be considered to have a leading edge located at the rear of the nozzle, a trailing edge located at the front of the nozzle, and a chord line extending between the leading and trailing edges. In U.S. Pat. No. 2,488,467 the chord line of each nozzle is parallel to the bore axis of the nozzles. The air outlet is located on the chord line, and is arranged to emit the airflow in a direction extending away from the nozzle and along the chord line.

Another fan assembly which does not use caged blades to project air from the fan assembly is described in WO 2010/100451. This fan assembly comprises a cylindrical base which also houses a motor-driven impeller for drawing a primary airflow into the base, and a single annular nozzle connected to the base and comprising an annular mouth/outlet through which the primary airflow is emitted from the fan. The nozzle defines an opening through which air in the local environment of the fan assembly is drawn by the primary airflow emitted from the mouth, amplifying the primary airflow. The nozzle includes a Coanda surface over which the mouth is arranged to direct the primary airflow. The Coanda surface extends symmetrically about the central axis of the opening so that the airflow generated by the fan assembly is in the form of an annular jet having a cylindrical or frusto-conical profile.

WO 2010/046691 also describes a fan assembly. The fan assembly comprises a cylindrical base which houses a motor-driven impeller for drawing a primary air flow into the base, and an annular nozzle connected to the base and comprising an annular air outlet through which the primary air flow is emitted from the fan. The fan assembly comprises a filter for removing particulates from the air flow. The filter may be provided upstream from motor-driven impeller, in which case particulates are removed from the air flow prior to passing through the impeller. This protects the impeller from debris and dust that may be drawn into the fan assembly and which may damage the fan assembly. Alternatively, the filter may be provided downstream from the motor-driven impeller. In this configuration it is possible to filter and clean the air drawn through the motor-driven impeller, including any exhaust emissions, prior to progression through the elements of the fan assembly and supply to the user.

WO 2016/128732 describes a fan assembly similar to those of WO 2010/100451 and WO 2010/046691. The fan assembly is provided with air inlets that extend around the entire circumference of the body of the fan in order to maximise the area available for air to be drawn into the fan assembly. The fan assembly is therefore also provided with a tubular, barrel-type filter that fits concentrically over the body of the fan and surrounds the entire circumference of the fan body upstream from the air inlets, and a nozzle that is removably mounted on the body. The filter is not connected to either the body or the nozzle but is securely held in place by the nozzle when mounted on the body, and can only be removed from the fan assembly after removal of the nozzle. This arrangement provides that the filter may simply be lowered onto the body before being secured in place by the engagement of the nozzle with the body and further provides that the filter can easily be removed from the body after removal of the nozzle in order to allow for cleaning or replacement of the filter.

The fan assemblies described in each of WO 2010/100451, WO 2010/046691, and WO 2016/128732 each comprise a plurality of user-operable buttons that enable a user to operate the fan. WO 2012/017219 then also describes a fan assembly, in the form of a portable fan heater, which is provided with a plurality of user-operable buttons for enabling a user to control various functions of the fan assembly and that is also provided with a display for providing the user with a visual indication of a temperature setting of the fan assembly. Similarly, GB2509111 describes a fan assembly that is provided with a user interface circuit comprising both a user-actuable switch for operating the fan assembly and a display for displaying a current operational setting of the fan assembly.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

According to a first aspect there is provided a method of controlling a direction of an airflow emitted from a fan assembly, the fan assembly being capable of changing the direction of the airflow emitted therefrom to any direction within a range of adjustment of the fan assembly. The method comprises receiving user inputs that select an angle of oscillation and that determine a central emission direction for the airflow emitted from the fan assembly, and controlling the emission direction of the fan assembly such that the emitted airflow oscillates through the selected angle of oscillation with the oscillation of the emitted airflow being centered at the central emission direction.

The fan assembly preferably comprises one or more oscillation motors that are configured to change the emission direction in which the airflow is emitted from the fan assembly to any position within the range of adjustment.

The step of receiving user inputs may comprise any of receiving a user input that selects a central emission direction for the airflow emitted from the fan assembly, and then receiving a user input that selects an angle of oscillation for the emission direction; and receiving a user input that selects an angle of oscillation for the emission direction, and then receiving a user input that selects a central emission direction for the airflow emitted from the fan assembly.

The method may further comprise after receiving user inputs that select both an angle of oscillation and a central emission direction, determining whether or not the selected angle of oscillation fits within the available range of adjustment when centred at the selected central emission direction. If it is determined that the selected angle of oscillation does fit within the available range of adjustment when centred at the selected central emission direction, then using the selected central emission direction as the central emission direction for the oscillation of emission direction implemented by the fan assembly. If it is determined that the selected angle of oscillation does not fit within the available range of adjustment when centred at the selected central emission direction, then the central emission direction is modified such that the selected angle of oscillation does fit within the range of adjustment of the fan assembly.

The fan assembly preferably receives the user inputs from a remote control device. The method may then comprise, at the remote control device, accepting user inputs that select a central emission direction and transmitting the selected central emission direction to the fan assembly. The method may then further comprise, at the remote control device, generating on a display of the remote control device an image illustrating the available range of adjustment of the fan assembly, accepting user inputs that select a position within the range of adjustment as the central emission direction and transmitting the selected central emission direction to the fan assembly.

The step of accepting user inputs that select a position within the range of adjustment as a central emission direction may comprise, at the remote control device, generating on the display an indicator illustrating the current emission direction of the fan assembly within the range of adjustment, accepting user inputs that move the indicator towards a limit of the range of adjustment, and transmitting instructions to the fan assembly to steer the emission direction to the corresponding limit of the range of adjustment. The method may then comprise, at the fan assembly, receiving the instructions from the remote control device and operating the one or more oscillation motors to steer the emission direction towards the corresponding limit of the range of adjustment.

The method may comprise, at the remote control device, determining when movement of the indicator by the user has stopped, identifying the stop position of the indicator within the range of adjustment as the selected central emission direction, and transmitting instructions to the fan assembly to steer the emission direction to the central emission direction. The method may then comprise, at the fan assembly, receiving the instructions from the remote control device and stopping operation of the one or more oscillation motors when the emission direction of the fan assembly reaches the central emission direction.

The method may comprise, at the remote control device, accepting user inputs that select an angle of oscillation and transmitting the selected angle of oscillation to the fan assembly. The method may comprise, at the remote control device, accepting user inputs that select one of a plurality of predefined values for the angle of oscillation. The plurality of predefined values for the angle of oscillation may be in the range of 0 degrees to 350 degrees, and may preferably comprise any of 0 degrees, 45 degrees, 90 degrees, 180 degrees and 350 degrees.

The method may then further comprise, at the remote control device, generating on a display of the remote control device images displaying each of the plurality of predefined values for the angle of oscillation, accepting user inputs that select one of the plurality of predefined values and transmitting the selected predefined value for the angle of oscillation to the fan assembly.

The method may comprise determining if the selected angle of oscillation fits within the available range of adjustment when centred at the selected central emission direction. If it is determined that the selected angle of oscillation does fit within the available range of adjustment when centred at the selected central emission direction, then using the selected central emission direction as the central emission direction for the oscillation of emission direction implemented by the fan assembly. If it is determined that the selected angle of oscillation does not fit within the available range of adjustment when centred at the selected central emission direction, then the central emission direction is modified such that the selected angle of oscillation does fit within the range of adjustment of the fan assembly.

The step of determining if the selected angle of oscillation fits within the available range of adjustment when centred at the selected central emission direction may be performed at the remote control device and the method then further comprises, at the remote control device, transmitting the central emission direction to the fan assembly.

According to a second aspect there is provided fan assembly comprising a motor-driven impeller arranged to generate an airflow, an air outlet arranged to emit the airflow from the fan assembly, one or more oscillation motors configured to change an emission direction in which the airflow is emitted from the fan assembly to any position within a range of adjustment of the fan assembly, a receiver configured to receive control signals from a control device, and a controller configured to control the one or more oscillation motors. In response to control signals received from the control device that comprise a central emission direction and an angle of oscillation for the emission direction, the processor is configured to control the one or more oscillation motors so that the emission direction of the fan assembly oscillates through the angle of oscillation with the oscillation of the emission direction being centred at the central emission direction. The one or more oscillation motors may be configured to move at least a portion of the fan assembly in order to change the emission direction to any position within a range of adjustment.

In response to control signals received from the control device that comprise instructions to move the emission direction to a limit of the range of adjustment, the controller may be configured to control the one or more oscillation motors to steer the emission direction to the limit of the range of adjustment. In response to control signals received from the control device that comprise instructions to move to the central emission direction, the controller may be configured to stop operation of the one or more oscillation motors when the emission direction of the fan assembly reaches the central emission direction.

The fan assembly may comprise a nozzle mounted on a fan body, the motor-driven impeller being housed within the fan body, the air outlet being provided by the nozzle, and the nozzle being arranged to receive the airflow from the fan body and to emit the airflow from the air outlet. The nozzle may then define a bore through which air from outside the fan assembly is drawn by the airflow that is emitted from the air outlet and which combines with the airflow emitted from the air outlet to produce an amplified airflow.

The fan assembly may comprise a pan oscillation motor that is configured to move at least a portion of the fan assembly such that the emission direction rotates in a horizontal plane. The fan assembly may comprise a tilt oscillation motor that is configured to move at least a portion of the fan assembly such that the emission direction rotates in a vertical plane.

According to a third aspect there is provided an electronic device configured to control a fan assembly, the fan assembly being capable of changing the direction of the airflow emitted therefrom to any direction within a range of adjustment of the fan assembly. The device comprises a user input device, a controller, and a transmitter. In response to user inputs received from the user input device that comprise a selected central emission direction and a selected angle of oscillation for the emission direction, the controller is configured to transmit instructions to the fan assembly that cause the fan assembly to vary the emission direction of the fan assembly such that the emitted airflow oscillates through the angle of oscillation with the oscillation of the emission direction being centred at a central emission direction.

In response to user inputs received from the user input device that comprise a selected central emission direction and a selected angle of oscillation for the emission direction, the controller may be configured to determine a central emission direction for the airflow emitted from the fan assembly.

After receiving user inputs that select both an angle of oscillation and a central emission direction, the controller may be configured to determine whether or not the selected angle of oscillation fits within the available range of adjustment when centred at the selected central emission direction. If it is determined that the selected angle of oscillation does fit within the available range of adjustment when centred at the selected central emission direction, then the controller may be configured to use the selected central emission direction as the central emission direction for the oscillation of emission direction implemented by the fan assembly. If it is determined that the selected angle of oscillation does not fit within the available range of adjustment when centred at the selected central emission direction, then the controller may be configured to modify the selected central emission direction such that the selected angle of oscillation does fit within the range of adjustment of the fan assembly.

In response to user inputs received from the user input device that comprise a selected central emission direction, the controller may be configured to transmit the selected central emission direction to the fan assembly.

The electronic device may further comprise a display. The controller may then be configured to generate on the display an image illustrating the available range of adjustment of the fan assembly, receive user inputs from the user input device that select a position within the range of adjustment as the central emission direction, and transmit the selected central emission direction to the fan assembly.

The controller may be further configured to generate on the display an indicator illustrating the current emission direction of the fan assembly within the range of adjustment, receive user inputs from the user input device that move the indicator towards a limit of the range of adjustment, and transmit instructions to the fan assembly to steer the emission direction to the corresponding limit of the range of adjustment. The controller may be further configured to determine when movement of the indicator by the user has stopped, identify the stop position of the indicator within the range of adjustment as the selected central emission direction, and transmit instructions to the fan assembly to steer the emission direction to the central emission direction.

The display and the user input device may be provided by a touchscreen display of the electronic device. In order to move the indicator towards a limit of the range of adjustment, the touchscreen display may then be configured to accept a user input that drags the indicator within the range of adjustment illustrated on the touchscreen display. In order to determine when movement of the indicator by the user has stopped, the controller may then be further configured to determine when the dragging of the indicator by the user has stopped.

The controller may be configured to accept user inputs from the user input device that select one of a plurality of predefined values for the angle of oscillation. The plurality of predefined values for the angle of oscillation may be in the range of 0 degrees to 350 degrees, and may preferably comprise any of 0 degrees, 45 degrees, 90 degrees, 180 degrees and 350 degrees.

The controller may be configured to generate on the display images displaying each of the plurality of predefined values for the angle of oscillation, receive user inputs from the user input device that select one of the plurality of predefined values, and transmit the selected predefined value for the angle of oscillation to the fan assembly.

In response to user inputs received from the user input device that comprise a selected angle of oscillation, the controller may be configured to determine if the selected angle of oscillation fits within the available range of adjustment when centred at the selected central emission direction. If it is determined that the selected angle of oscillation does fit within the available range of adjustment when centred at the selected central emission direction, then the controller may be configured to use the selected central emission direction as the central emission direction for the oscillation of emission direction implemented by the fan assembly. If it is determined that the selected angle of oscillation does not fit within the available range of adjustment when centred at the selected central emission direction, then the controller may be configured to modify the selected central emission direction such that the selected angle of oscillation does fit within the range of adjustment of the fan assembly.

The electronic device may comprise any of a remote control associated with the fan assembly and a wireless computer device such as a tablet computer or smartphone.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a flow diagram illustrating an embodiment of a method of controlling a fan assembly;

FIG. 2 is a flow diagram illustrating a detailed embodiment of the method of controlling a fan assembly;

FIG. 3 illustrates schematically an embodiment of a system suitable for implementing the methods described herein;

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram illustrating an embodiment of the method of controlling a fan assembly when implemented by a system such as that illustrated in FIG. 3; and

FIGS. 5a to 5d illustrates examples of the images that could be generated on the display of a control device implementing the methods described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE

There will now be described a method of controlling the direction of an airflow emitted from a fan assembly. The method applies to a fan assembly that is capable of changing the direction of the airflow emitted therefrom to any direction within the range of adjustment of the fan assembly. The term “fan assembly” as used herein refers to a fan assembly configured to generate and deliver an airflow for the purposes of thermal comfort and/or environmental or climate control. Such a fan assembly may be capable of generating one or more of a dehumidified airflow, a humidified airflow, a purified airflow, a filtered airflow, a cooled airflow, and a heated airflow.

The term “range of adjustment” as used herein refers to the extent to which the direction of the airflow emitted can be varied and is therefore synonymous with the terms range of movement and range of travel when used in relation to mechanical systems. By way of example, some fan assemblies are configured to be able to pan (i.e. rotate in a horizontal plane/around a vertical axis) such that range of adjustment would then be defined by the angle through which the fan assembly can pan, whilst some other fan assemblies are configured to be able to both pan and tilt (i.e. rotate in a vertical plane/around a horizontal axis) such that range of adjustment would then be defined by the combination of the angle through which the fan assembly can pan and the angle through which the fan assembly can tilt. By way of further example, some fan assemblies are provided with outlet guide vanes that can be rotated in order to adjust the direction of the emitted airflow. In this case, the range of adjustment would then be defined by the angle through which the outlet guide vanes can rotate.

FIG. 1 is a flow diagram illustrating an embodiment of the method of controlling a fan assembly. The steps performed are as follows:

-   A1. User inputs are received that select an angle of oscillation for     the emission direction and that determine a central emission     direction for the airflow emitted from the fan assembly. -   A2. In response to these user inputs, the emission direction of the     fan assembly is then controlled/steered/modulated such that the     emitted airflow oscillates through the selected angle of oscillation     with the oscillation of the emitted airflow being centred at the     central emission direction.

This method provides that the user of the fan assembly can easily define the desired emission direction for the airflow emitted from the fan to anywhere within the available range of adjustment of the fan assembly. Moreover, it allows the user to set the oscillation of the emission direction to any subrange within the available range of adjustment by allowing the user to define the position within the range of adjustment at which it is desired that the oscillation is centred. In this regard, the centre of the oscillation of the fan assembly is the midpoint within the angular range defined by the angle of oscillation. For example, for an angle of oscillation of 90 degrees, the direction of the emitted airflow will oscillate through an angle of 45 degrees to either side of the point at which the oscillation is centred.

FIG. 2 is a flow diagram illustrating a detailed embodiment of the method of controlling a fan assembly. This embodiment shows that the user inputs that select an angle of oscillation for the emission direction and that select a central emission direction can be provided in any order. In particular, if the first received user input is a selection of a central emission direction for the airflow emitted from the fan assembly (step B1 a), then this is followed by a subsequent step in which a user input is received that selects an angle of oscillation for the emission direction (step B2 a). Alternatively, if the first received user input is a selection of an angle of oscillation for the emission direction (step B1 b), then this is followed by a subsequent step in which a user input is received that selects a central emission direction for the airflow emitted from the fan assembly (step B2 b).

Once both a user selection of a central emission direction and a user selection of an angle of oscillation have been received, it is then determined whether or not the selected angle of oscillation fits within the available range of adjustment when centred at the selected central emission direction (step B3).

If it is determined that the selected angle of oscillation does fit within the available range of adjustment when centred at the selected central emission direction, then the selected central emission direction is used as the central emission direction for the oscillation of emission direction implemented by the fan assembly. The fan assembly therefore oscillates the emitted airflow through the selected angle of oscillation with this oscillation being centred at the selected central emission direction (step B5). However, if it is determined that the selected angle of oscillation does not fit within the available range of adjustment when centred at the selected central emission direction, then the central emission direction is modified such that the selected angle of oscillation does fit within the range of adjustment of the fan assembly (step B4). In other words, rather than merely using the central emission direction selected by the user, an alternative central emission direction is selected that ensures that the emission direction can be oscillated through the entire angle of oscillation selected by the user. For example, in a preferred embodiment, if the user were to select an angle of oscillation of 180 degrees and a central emission direction that is located 30 degrees from a first end or limit of the available range of adjustment, then the central emission direction would be modified such that it is located 90 degrees away from the first end of the available range of adjustment so that the emission direction can be oscillated through an angle of 90 degrees to either side of the modified central emission direction. This modification of the central emission direction would therefore allow for the selected 180 degrees of oscillation. The fan assembly would then oscillate the emitted airflow through the selected angle of oscillation with this oscillation being centred at the modified central emission direction (step B5). Consequently, the user selections of both a central emission direction and an angle of oscillation are thereby used to determine the central emission direction for the fan assembly, either by using the user selected central emission direction or by modifying the user selected central emission direction as described above.

Preferably, the user inputs are received by a remote control device that is configured to wirelessly communicate with the fan assembly. The remote control device then responds to the user inputs by generating instructions that are transmitted to the fan assembly and that cause the fan assembly to oscillate, with these instructions being determined by the inputs received from the user of the remote control device. FIG. 3 therefore illustrates schematically a preferred embodiment of a system suitable for implementing the methods described herein, wherein system comprises both a fan assembly 100 and a remote control device 200 that is capable of communicating wirelessly with the fan assembly 100.

The fan assembly 100 is implemented as a combination of mechanical components, computer hardware and software and comprises a motor-driven impeller 110 arranged to generate an airflow, an air outlet 120 arranged to emit the airflow from the fan assembly 100, one or more oscillation motors 130 that are configured to change an emission/discharge direction in which the airflow is emitted from the fan assembly 100 to any position within a range of adjustment of the fan assembly, a transceiver 140 configured to receive control signals from the remote control device 200 and a controller 150 configured to respond to control signals received from the remote control device 200 and to control both the motor-drive impeller 110 and the one or more oscillation motors 130. By way of example, the transceiver 140 could be capable of wirelessly transmitting and/or receiving information using infrared, using a wireless local area network (WLAN) technology such as Wi-Fi, or using a wireless personal area network (WPAN) technology such as Bluetooth.

The controller 150 of the fan assembly 100 could comprise a processor such as microcontroller. The controller 150 may then further comprise a memory that provides storage for any data required by the controller, such as any computer programs/software applications implemented by the processor.

The remote control device 200 is implemented as a combination of computer hardware and software and comprises a user input device 210 that is configured to receive inputs provided by a user of the remote control device 200, an electronic display 220 that is arranged to present images and/or data to a user of the remote control device 200, a controller 230 configured to generate graphics on the display 220, to respond to user inputs received from the user input device 210 and to generate control signals for the fan assembly 100, and a transceiver 240 configured to transmit control signals to the fan assembly 100. By way of example, the transceiver 240 could be capable of wirelessly transmitting and/or receiving information using infrared, using a wireless local area network (WLAN) technology such as Wi-Fi, or using a wireless personal area network (WPAN) technology such as Bluetooth.

The controller 230 of the remote control device 200 could comprise a processor such as microcontroller or microprocessor. The controller 230 may then further comprise a memory that provides storage for any data required by the controller, such as any computer programs/software applications implemented by the processor. The remote control device 200 could therefore be provided by any suitable electronic device. For example, the remote control device 200 could be provided by any of a remote control that is specifically associated with the fan assembly 100 (i.e. is configured specifically to operate with and control the fan assembly) and a wireless computer device such as a tablet computer or smartphone that is configured with a computer program/software application that implements the necessary processing.

In an exemplary embodiment in which the method of controlling a fan assembly described herein is implemented by a system such as that illustrated in FIG. 3, the user interacts with the remote control device 200 so that it enters a mode in which the user can provide inputs relating to the direction of the airflow emitted from the fan assembly 100, referred to herein as an oscillation control mode. Upon entering this oscillation control mode, the controller 230 of the remote control device 200 generates on the display 220 an image/graphic illustrating the available range of adjustment of the fan assembly 100. For example, for a fan assembly that is configured to be able to pan, the image/graphic generated on the display could comprise an arc showing the angular range through which the direction of the airflow emitted from the fan assembly can be adjusted.

The user then interacts with the remote control device 200 using the user input device 210 to provide inputs that selects a central emission direction for the air flow emitted from the fan assembly. Consequently, in this exemplary embodiment, the first received user input is the selection of a central emission direction. Expanding on above example of a fan assembly that is configured to be able to pan, this user input could comprise the selection of a position along the image of an arc generated on the display.

The user input device 210 provides this user input to the controller 230, with the controller 230 then transmitting the user selected central emission direction to the fan assembly 100 using the transceiver 240. These instructions will then be received at the fan assembly 100 using the transceiver 140, with the controller 150 of the fan assembly 100 then being configured to operate the one or more oscillation motors 130 so that the emission direction of the fan assembly 100 is steered to the central emission direction.

In a preferred embodiment, when generating the image/graphic illustrating the available range of adjustment of the fan assembly 100, the controller 230 of the remote control device 200 will be further configured to generate on the display 220 an indicator illustrating the current emission direction of the fan assembly 100 within the range of adjustment of the fan assembly 100. The user input device 210 would then be configured to receive inputs from the user that move the indicator along the range of adjustment and therefore towards an end or limit of the range of adjustment. The controller 230 would then be configured to, whilst the user inputs that move the indicator along the range of adjustment are on-going, transmit instructions to the fan assembly 100 to move the emission direction to the corresponding limit of the range of adjustment. These instructions will then be received at the fan assembly 100 using the transceiver 140, with the controller 150 of the fan assembly 100 then being configured to operate the one or more oscillation motors 130 so that the emission direction of the fan assembly 100 moves towards the corresponding limit of the range of adjustment. Doing so provides that the emission direction of the fan assembly 100 will be adjusted in accordance with the user inputs in near real-time, thereby providing instantaneous feedback to the user when adjusting the central emission direction of the fan assembly 100.

In this preferred embodiment, the controller 230 of the remote control device 200 will then be further configured to determine when movement of the indicator by the user has stopped, and to identify the stationary/stop position of the indicator along the image of the range of adjustment as the user selected central emission direction. The controller 230 would then be configured to transmit instructions to the fan assembly 100 to move the emission direction of the fan assembly 100 to the user selected central emission direction. These instructions will then be received at the fan assembly 100, with the controller 150 of the fan assembly 100 then being configured to stop operation of the one or more oscillation motors 130 when the emission direction of the fan assembly 100 has reached the central emission direction.

After selecting a central emission direction, the user then interacts with the remote control device 200 using the user input device 210 to provide inputs that select an angle of oscillation for the air flow emitted from the fan assembly 100, thereby providing a second received user input. In an optional embodiment, the controller 230 could be configured to accept user inputs from the user input device 210 that select one of a plurality of predefined values for the angle of oscillation. For example, the plurality of predefined values for the angle of oscillation could be in the range of 0 degrees to 350 degrees, and could comprise values such as 0 degrees, 45 degrees, 90 degrees, 180 degrees and 350 degrees etc. In this optional embodiment, the controller 230 could be configured to generate on the display 220 graphics/images displaying each of the plurality of predefined values for the angle of oscillation.

In a preferred embodiment, the controller 230 of the remote control device 200 would be configured to, in response to user inputs received from the user input device 210 that comprise a selected angle of oscillation, determine if the selected angle of oscillation fits within the available range of adjustment when centred at the user selected central emission direction. If it is determined that the selected angle of oscillation does fit within the available range of adjustment when centred at the user selected central emission direction, then the controller 230 would be configured to use the selected primary emission direction as the central emission direction, and to therefore use the transceiver 240 to transmit the selected predefined value for the angle of oscillation to the fan assembly 100. These instructions will then be received at the fan assembly 100, with the controller 150 of the fan assembly 100 then being configured to control the operation of the one or more oscillation motors 130 so that the emission direction of the fan assembly 100 oscillates through the selected angle of oscillation, with this oscillation of the emission direction being centred at the user selected central emission direction.

In contrast, if it is determined that the selected angle of oscillation does not fit within the available range of adjustment when centred at the user selected central emission direction, then the controller 230 would be configured to modify the central emission direction such that the selected angle of oscillation does fit within the available range of adjustment, and to then use the transceiver 240 to transmit both the modified central emission direction and the selected predefined value for the angle of oscillation to the fan assembly 100. These instructions will then be received at the fan assembly 100, with the controller 150 of the fan assembly 100 then being configured to control the operation of the one or more oscillation motors 130 so that the emission direction of the fan assembly oscillates through the selected angle of oscillation with this oscillation of the emission direction being centered at the modified central emission direction, rather than the user selected central emission direction.

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram illustrating another exemplary embodiment of the method of controlling a fan assembly when implemented by a system such as that illustrated in FIG. 3. The steps performed are as follows:

-   C1. Upon entering this oscillation control mode, the controller 230     of the remote control device 200 generates on the display 220 an     image/graphic illustrating the available range of adjustment of the     fan assembly 100 and an indicator illustrating the current emission     direction of the fan assembly within the range of adjustment of the     fan assembly 100. FIG. 5a illustrates an example of the images that     could be generated on the display 220 for a fan assembly that is     configured to be able to pan, wherein an image 221 of fan assembly     100 is shown at the centre of the an arc 222 that represents the     range of adjustment with the indicator being provided by a dashed     line 223 representing the current emission direction of the fan     assembly 100. -   C2. The user then interacts with the remote control device 200 using     the user input device 210 to move the indicator along the     illustrated range of adjustment and therefore towards an end or     limit of the range of adjustment. FIG. 5b illustrates an example of     the images that could be generated on the display 220 wherein the     inputs received from the user cause movement (as shown by the dotted     arrow line) of the indicator 223 towards a first end or limit 224 of     the range of adjustment. -   C3. Whilst the user inputs that move the indicator 223 along the     range of adjustment 222 are on-going, the controller 230 transmits     instructions to the fan assembly 100 to steer the emission direction     towards the corresponding limit of the range of adjustment. -   C4. These instructions are received at the fan assembly 100 using     the transceiver 140, with the controller 150 of the fan assembly 100     then operating the one or more oscillation motors 130 so that the     emission direction of the fan assembly 100 moves towards the     corresponding limit of the range of adjustment. -   C5. The user then stops moving the indicator 223 along the     illustrated range of adjustment 222. -   C6. The controller 230 of the remote control device 200 then     identifies the stationary/stop position 225 of the indicator 223     along the range of adjustment 222 as the user selected central     emission direction. FIG. 5c illustrates an example of the images     that could be generated on the display 220 wherein the indicator 223     is in the stationary/stop position 225 along the illustrated range     of adjustment 222 following movement of the indicator 223 by the     user. -   C7. The controller 230 the remote control device 200 then transmits     instructions to the fan assembly 100 to move the emission direction     of the fan assembly 100 to the user selected central emission     direction. -   C8. These instructions are received at the fan assembly 100, with     the controller 150 of the fan assembly 100 then stopping operation     of the one or more oscillation motors 130 when the emission     direction of the fan assembly 100 has reached the user selected     central emission direction. -   C9. The user then interacts with the remote control device 200 using     the user input device 210 to provide inputs that select one of a     plurality of predefined values for the angle of oscillation. FIG. 5d     illustrates an example of the images that could be generated on the     display 220 wherein each of the plurality of predefined values for     the angle of oscillation are shown on the display within a     corresponding circle 226 a-226 e and with the value selected by the     using being highlighted 226 c. In addition, the subrange within the     available range of adjustment that has been selected by the user,     through the combination of the selected central emission direction     and the selected angle of oscillation, is shown on the display 220     by the arc 227 defined by the dash-dot line. -   C10. The controller 230 of the remote control device 200 then     determines if the selected angle of oscillation fits within the     available range of adjustment when centred at the user selected     central emission direction. -   C11. In this example, the controller 230 of the remote control     device 200 determines that the selected angle of oscillation does     fit within the available range of adjustment when centred at the     user selected central emission direction, and therefore uses the     transceiver 240 to transmit the selected predefined value for the     angle of oscillation to the fan assembly 100. -   C12. These instructions are received at the fan assembly 100, with     the controller 150 of the fan assembly 100 then controlling the     operation of the one or more oscillation motors 130 so that the     emission direction of the fan assembly 100 oscillates through the     selected angle of oscillation with this oscillation of the emission     direction being centred at the user selected central emission     direction.

In a preferred embodiment, the remote control device 200 is provided by a wireless computer device such as a tablet computer or smartphone that is running a computer program/software application that allows it to control the fan assembly 100. In such an embodiment, the user input device 210 and display 220 of the remote control device 200 will typically both be provided by a touchscreen of the remote control device 200. Consequently, in order to move the indicator towards a limit of the range of adjustment, the touchscreen display would configured to accept a user input that drags the indicator to a position along the range of adjustment illustrated on the touchscreen display. Then, in order to determine when movement of the indicator by the user has stopped, the controller 230 of the remote control device 200 would be configured to determine when the dragging of the indicator by the user has stopped. The terms “drag” and “dragging” as used herein refer to the movement of an image across a display using a user input device. In the context of a user input device that comprises touchscreen, this movement would be implemented by a user contacting the touchscreen with a digit and dragging that digit across the touchscreen.

In a preferred embodiment, the fan assembly would comprise one or both of a pan oscillation motor and a tilt oscillation motor. A pan oscillation motor would be configured to move at least a portion of the fan assembly such that the emission direction rotates in a horizontal plane (i.e. when the fan assembly is located on a substantially horizontal support surface). The range of adjustment of a fan assembly comprising a pan oscillation motor would then at least partially be defined by the angle through which the pan oscillation motor can rotate emission direction. In contrast, a tilt oscillation motor would be configured to move at least a portion of the fan assembly such that the emission direction rotates in a vertical plane (i.e. when the fan assembly is located on a substantially horizontal support surface). The range of adjustment of a fan assembly comprising a tilt oscillation motor would then at least partially be defined by the angle through which the tilt oscillation motor can rotate emission direction.

In an optional embodiment, the fan assembly is a bladeless fan. The term ‘bladeless’ as used herein refers to fan assembly in which the air flow emitted from the fan assembly without visible/ external moving blades. In other words, a bladeless fan assembly can be considered to have an output area or emission zone that is absent moving blades. Consequently, in this optional embodiment, the fan assembly preferably comprises a nozzle mounted on a fan body, with the motor-driven impeller being housed within the fan body, and the air outlet being provided by the nozzle. The nozzle is therefore arranged to receive the airflow from the fan body and to emit the airflow from the air outlet. In preferred embodiment, the nozzle defines a bore through which air from outside the fan assembly is drawn by the airflow that is emitted from the air outlet and which combines with the airflow emitted from the air outlet to produce an amplified airflow.

It will be appreciated that individual items described above may be used on their own or in combination with other items shown in the drawings or described in the description and that items mentioned in the same passage as each other or the same drawing as each other need not be used in combination with each other. In addition, the expression “means” may be replaced by actuator or system or device as may be desirable. In addition, any reference to “comprising” or “consisting” is not intended to be limiting in any way whatsoever and the reader should interpret the description and claims accordingly.

Furthermore, although the invention has been described in terms of preferred embodiments as set forth above, it should be understood that these embodiments are illustrative only. Those skilled in the art will be able to make modifications and alternatives in view of the disclosure which are contemplated as falling within the scope of the appended claims. For example, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the above-described invention is equally applicable to both free standing fan assemblies and other types of environmental control fan assemblies. By way of example, such a fan assembly could be any of a freestanding fan assembly, a ceiling or wall mounted fan assembly and an in-vehicle fan assembly.

In addition, in the preferred embodiments described above, the user inputs are received by a remote control device that is configured to wirelessly communicate with the fan assembly. However, in an alternative embodiment the user inputs could be received by an electronic device that has a direct connection to the fan assembly, either by being an integral part of the fan assembly or by both the fan assembly and the control device being integral but separate parts of another system. By way of example, the control device could be provided by a user interface device provided as part of the fan assembly. By way of further example, the control device could be provided by an in-vehicle computer system that is connected to the heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system of the vehicle that comprises one or more fan assemblies.

Moreover, in the preferred embodiments described above, the user input device is provided by a touchscreen. However, the user input device could equally be provided by any other suitable device such as a touchpad, trackball, mouse, pointing stick or gesture recognition system.

Although the embodiments of the invention described with reference to the drawings comprise computer processors and processes performed by computer processors, the invention also extends to computer programs, particularly computer programs on or in a carrier, adapted for putting the invention into practice. The program may be in the form of source or object code or in any other form suitable for use in the implementation of the processes according to the invention. The carrier could be any entity or device capable of carrying the program. For example, the carrier may comprise a storage medium, such as a ROM, for example a CD ROM or a semiconductor ROM, or a magnetic recording medium, for example a floppy disc or hard disk. Further, the carrier may be a transmissible carrier such as an electrical or optical signal which may be conveyed via electrical or optical cable or by radio or other means. When a program is embodied in a signal which may be conveyed directly by a cable or other device or means, the carrier may be constituted by such cable or other device or means. Alternatively, the carrier may be an integrated circuit in which the program is embedded, the integrated circuit being adapted for performing, or for use in the performance of, the relevant processes. 

1. A method of controlling a direction of an airflow emitted from a fan assembly, the fan assembly being capable of changing the direction of the airflow emitted therefrom to any direction within a range of adjustment of the fan assembly, the method comprising: receiving user inputs that select an angle of oscillation and that determine a central emission direction for the airflow emitted from the fan assembly; and controlling the emission direction of the fan assembly such that the emitted airflow oscillates through the selected angle of oscillation with the oscillation of the emitted airflow being centered at the central emission direction.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the fan assembly comprises one or more oscillation motors that are configured to change the emission direction in which the airflow is emitted from the fan assembly to any position within the range of adjustment.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of receiving user inputs comprises any of: receiving a user input that selects a central emission direction for the airflow emitted from the fan assembly, and then receiving a user input that selects an angle of oscillation for the emission direction; and receiving a user input that selects an angle of oscillation for the emission direction, and then receiving a user input that selects a central emission direction for the airflow emitted from the fan assembly.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises: after receiving user inputs that select both an angle of oscillation and a central emission direction, determining whether or not the selected angle of oscillation fits within the available range of adjustment when centred at the selected central emission direction; if it is determined that the selected angle of oscillation does fit within the available range of adjustment when centred at the selected central emission direction, then using the selected central emission direction as the central emission direction for the oscillation of emission direction implemented by the fan assembly; and if it is determined that the selected angle of oscillation does not fit within the available range of adjustment when centred at the selected central emission direction, then the central emission direction is modified such that the selected angle of oscillation does fit within the range of adjustment of the fan assembly.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the fan assembly receives the user inputs from a remote control device.
 6. The method of claim 5, and further comprising at the remote control device, accepting user inputs that select a central emission direction and transmitting the selected central emission direction to the fan assembly.
 7. The method of claim 6, and further comprising at the remote control device, generating on a display of the remote control device an image illustrating the available range of adjustment of the fan assembly, accepting user inputs that select a position within the range of adjustment as the central emission direction and transmitting the selected central emission direction to the fan assembly.
 8. The method of claim 7, wherein the step of accepting user inputs that select a position within the range of adjustment as a central emission direction comprises: at the remote control device, generating on the display an indicator illustrating the current emission direction of the fan assembly within the range of adjustment, accepting user inputs that move the indicator towards a limit of the range of adjustment, and transmitting instructions to the fan assembly to steer the emission direction to the corresponding limit of the range of adjustment.
 9. The method of claim 8, and further comprising: at the fan assembly, receiving the instructions from the remote control device and operating the one or more oscillation motors to steer the emission direction towards the corresponding limit of the range of adjustment.
 10. The method of claim 8, and further comprising: at the remote control device, determining when movement of the indicator by the user has stopped, identifying the stop position of the indicator within the range of adjustment as the selected central emission direction, and transmitting instructions to the fan assembly to steer the emission direction to the central emission direction.
 11. The method of claim 10, and further comprising: at the fan assembly, receiving the instructions from the remote control device and stopping operation of the one or more oscillation motors when the emission direction of the fan assembly reaches the central emission direction.
 12. The method of claim 5, and further comprising: at the remote control device, accepting user inputs that select an angle of oscillation and transmitting the selected angle of oscillation to the fan assembly.
 13. The method of claim 12, and further comprising: at the remote control device, accepting user inputs that select one of a plurality of predefined values for the angle of oscillation.
 14. A fan assembly comprising: a motor-driven impeller arranged to generate an airflow; an air outlet arranged to emit the airflow from the fan assembly; one or more oscillation motors configured to change an emission direction in which the airflow is emitted from the fan assembly to any position within a range of adjustment of the fan assembly; a receiver configured to receive control signals from a control device; and a controller configured to control the one or more oscillation motors; wherein, in response to control signals received from the control device that comprise a central emission direction and an angle of oscillation for the emission direction, the processor is configured to control the one or more oscillation motors so that the emission direction of the fan assembly oscillates through the angle of oscillation with the oscillation of the emission direction being centred at the central emission direction.
 15. The fan assembly of claim 14, wherein the one or more oscillation motors are each configured to move at least a portion of the fan assembly in order to change the emission direction to any position within a range of adjustment.
 16. The fan assembly of claim 14, wherein, in response to control signals received from the control device that comprise instructions to move the emission direction to a limit of the range of adjustment, the controller is configured to control the one or more oscillation motors to steer the emission direction to the limit of the range of adjustment.
 17. The fan assembly of claim 16, wherein, in response to control signals received from the control device that comprise instructions to move to the central emission direction, the controller is configured to stop operation of the one or more oscillation motors when the emission direction of the fan assembly reaches the central emission direction.
 18. The fan assembly of claim 14, wherein the fan assembly comprises a pan oscillation motor that is configured to move at least a portion of the fan assembly such that the emission direction rotates in a horizontal plane.
 19. The fan assembly of claim 14, wherein the fan assembly comprises a tilt oscillation motor that is configured to move at least a portion of the fan assembly such that the emission direction rotates in a vertical plane.
 20. An electronic device configured to control a fan assembly, the fan assembly being capable of changing the direction of the airflow emitted therefrom to any direction within a range of adjustment of the fan assembly, the device comprising: a user input device; a controller; and a transmitter; wherein, in response to user inputs received from the user input device that comprise a selected central emission direction and a selected angle of oscillation for the emission direction, the controller is configured to transmit instructions to the fan assembly that cause the fan assembly to vary the emission direction of the fan assembly such that the emitted airflow oscillates through the angle of oscillation with the oscillation of the emission direction being centred at a central emission direction.
 21. The electronic device of claim 20, wherein, in response to user inputs received from the user input device that comprise a selected central emission direction and a selected angle of oscillation for the emission direction, the controller is configured to determine a central emission direction for the airflow emitted from the fan assembly.
 22. The electronic device of claim 21, wherein, after receiving user inputs that select both an angle of oscillation and a central emission direction, the controller is configured to: determine whether or not the selected angle of oscillation fits within the available range of adjustment when centred at the selected central emission direction; if it is determined that the selected angle of oscillation does fit within the available range of adjustment when centred at the selected central emission direction, then use the selected central emission direction as the central emission direction for the oscillation of emission direction implemented by the fan assembly; and if it is determined that the selected angle of oscillation does not fit within the available range of adjustment when centred at the selected central emission direction, then modify the selected central emission direction such that the selected angle of oscillation does fit within the range of adjustment of the fan assembly.
 23. The electronic device of claim 20, wherein, in response to user inputs received from the user input device that comprise a selected central emission direction, the controller is configured to transit the selected central emission direction to the fan assembly.
 24. The electronic device of claim 20, and further comprising a display.
 25. The electronic device of claim 24, wherein the controller is configured to: generate on a display an image illustrating the available range of adjustment of the fan assembly; receive user inputs from the user input device that select a position within the range of adjustment as the central emission direction; and transmit the selected central emission direction to the fan assembly.
 26. The electronic device of claim 25, wherein the controller is configured to: generate on the display an indicator illustrating the current emission direction of the fan assembly within the range of adjustment; receive user inputs from the user input device that move the indicator towards a limit of the range of adjustment; and transmit instructions to the fan assembly to steer the emission direction to the corresponding limit of the range of adjustment.
 27. The electronic device of claim 26, wherein the controller is configured to: determine when movement of the indicator by the user has stopped; identify the stop position of the indicator within the range of adjustment as the selected central emission direction; and transmit instructions to the fan assembly to steer the emission direction to the central emission direction.
 28. The electronic device of claim 26, wherein the display and the user input device are provided by a touchscreen display of the electronic device.
 29. The electronic device of claim 28, wherein, in order to move the indicator towards a limit of the range of adjustment, the touchscreen display is configured to accept a user input that drags the indicator within the range of adjustment illustrated on the touchscreen display.
 30. The electronic device of claim 29, wherein, in order to determine when movement of the indicator by the user has stopped, the controller is configured to determine when the dragging of the indicator by the user has stopped.
 31. The electronic device of claim 20, wherein the controller is configured to accept user inputs from the user input device that select one of a plurality of predefined values for the angle of oscillation.
 32. The electronic device of claim 20, wherein the electronic device comprises any of a remote control associated with the fan assembly and a wireless computer device such as a tablet computer or smartphone. 